The PKK’s disarmament ceremony, where a group of guerrillas destroyed their weapons in the Şikefta Casenê area in the Sulaymaniyah countryside, was watched with great interest, excitement, hope, and emotion by people in many cities across Kurdistan and Turkey.

Amed

Citizens gathered at the MEBYA-DER building in Amed (tr: Diyarbakır) and watched the ceremony attentively for hours, accompanied by emotional moments, applause and the slogans “Bijî Serok Apo” (Long Live Leader Öcalan), “Bijî berxwedana gerilla” (Long Live the guerrilla resistance) and “Şehîd namirin” (Martyrs are immortal).

Some women could not hold back their tears as the crowd was captivated by the images. Citizens gathered at the DBP provincial building in the morning also watched the ceremony together.

Bismil and Çınar

People in the Bismil and Çınar districts of Amed watched the ceremony in their homes and party buildings. Makbule Akyüz, a member of the Peace Mothers, witnessed this historic moment by watching the ceremony on her phone screen due to a power outage.

Siirt

In Siirt province, crowds gathered at the Deniz Poyraz Conference Hall and watched the ceremony, chanting the slogan “Bijî Serok Apo”. Mothers who lost their children watched the destruction of the weapons with tears in their eyes.

Batman

Citizens who gathered at the MEBYA-DER building in Batman followed the ceremony with slogans and applause. A young woman who noticed that one of those destroying their weapons was a relative fainted due to the emotional intensity of the moment.

Şırnak

People gathered in Şırnak province and the districts of Cizre, İdil and Silopi to watch the ceremony under the leadership of the DEM Party and MEBYA-DER. In Cizre, Peace Mother Makbule Demir said, “Today is a historic day for the peoples of the Middle East,” and called for political steps and legal reforms.

Mardin

Citizens gathered in the Kızıltepe district of Mardin under the leadership of MEBYA-DER and watched the ceremony with excitement on screens.

Istanbul

Citizens in Istanbul gathered at the DEM Party Istanbul Provincial Headquarters. The crowd watched followed the ceremony with great excitement.